The present invention relates to a family of electrocautery instruments provided with a removable switch.
Electrocautery has become widely used in surgery today. Electrocautery is utilized to provide hemostasis or control of bleeding during surgery, for cutting, and the burning or disintegration of diseased tissue, such as malignant, premalignant tissue or dysplastic tissue.
Electrocautery instruments are known in the prior art. For example, reference may be had to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,100,489; 3,643,663; 4,005,714; 4,076,028 and 4,041,952.
However, several significant disadvantages remain with electrocautery instruments heretofore in use. For example, instruments utilized in surgery must be made aseptic. This requires the placing of instruments in an autoclave for a significant period of time under adverse conditions of heat, pressure and steam. It is difficult, if not impossible, for electrical components to withstand such conditions on repeated use. Therefore, attempts have been made to produce instruments which are disposable, that is may be utilized and disposed of. However, this is relatively expensive.
Furthermore, the instruments are typically connected irremovably to the electrical cable which connects the instrument to the supply of electrical energy. Therefore, there is a lack of versatility in being able to connect various instruments, easily and efficiently, to the supply of electrical energy for rapid use on the surgical field unless a multitude of cables are run to the surgical field. However, it is undesirable to have more items than necessary on the surgical field, and particularly undesirable to have three, four or five cables with various instruments connected thereto.
Furthermore, during the use of an electrocautery instrument, crusting or burnt material accumulates on the electrocautery tip. This, heretofore, necessitated the scraping or other cleaning of the electrocautery tip or the replacement of the electrocautery instrument, including the reconnection of another cable to the source of electrical energy. In either case, this required a certain amount of time which adds further to the length of time that the patient is under general anesthesia, which is in general undesirable.